the Season

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you may say fashion bores- it has all been seen before. I say- that is what fascinates me about Fashion. I rarely LOOK at Fashion today that I don't see Fashion yesterday. Everything -mostly- has a reference point to history, art, or cinema.


& why?  just 45 years ago-1955, Fashion returns to
form. The cover BALENCIAGA.

form endures. Who better than SUZY MENKES-the one and only FASHION STORYTELLER Extraordinaire- to sum up in Harper's Bazaar September issue no less- THE SEASON  

"This curved and linear geometry is the essence of the new look. Designers have use the compass and the square, but not to create 2-D effects."  SM

(Suzy Menkes a name that should put fear into FASHION'S BLOGGIN' EXPERTS- Do not ever forget your betters-your MUCH betters)- but that is a story for another day.

"Genius creates, and Taste preserves.

Taste is the good sense of Genius;

Without Taste, 

Genius is only Divine Folly."

 alexander pope

SILHOUETTES: Geometric Gadgets are the the tools of the trade, so it is straight as a ruler, angular intersections as drawn with a square, or circles elongated as ovals. SUZY MENKES


 HOW THEY SEE IT:

Louis Vuitton 

(l to r)  Roland Mouret, Victoria Beckam, Calvin Klein, Antonio Berardi, Marc Jacobs (all from style.com)


 THE SEASON:
THE PHRASES the New Perfection, Sculptural, Feline(eyeliner), Restrained Chic, Black, Sleek Simplicity. 1955-BALENCIAGA.


-fashion history repeating itself, yet again.





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8 maids...a Duchess... & a conga line.

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  this photograph by Cecil Beaton

from Time Life 

I am reminded by Meg of Pigtown Design that this month is the anniversary of the Windsors-that's Wallis and Edward, June 3 1937.

& it is right On topic- the continual revisiting of certain persons-

Today -
WALLIS. Meg mentions the book THE WINDSOR STYLE by Suzy Menkes. The book, published in 1988, is still the best resource for the all the little delectable Windsor hors' d'oeuvres. Wallis knew herself, some might say-little to know-But I disagree. Women like WWW are constantly offered things-
She could have partaken of all.
Instead, she edited.
Mercilessly, Ruthlessly.

"Everybody was crazy to design for the Duchess. She was the most chic woman of our time...But she did not bargain herself. It was the couture houses who fought ot offer her discounts." Erik Mortensen

She always ALWAYS got it right. TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE.
She liked stripes, so did 8 others.
Givenchy made the blue and white matelot sheath for the Duchess. Paris Society's dressmakers were charged to copy, copy, copy, copy, copy, copy, copy, copy  the GIVENCHY jersey stripe. The designer-GIVENCHY, said, it "was the dress of the season. What I didn't know was that other women were going to have it copied by their little dressmakers."

from the pages of The Windsor Style-Suzy Menkes
The Duchess clasping hands with Mrs.Guiness Plunkett

this night, 8 ladies arrived at one of Baron de Rede's party in GIVENCHY'S sheath. Yikes Stripes! Wallis didn't blink- instead asking the "maids" to form a conga line and show the dress to its best advantage!

So many women would have been horrified! mortified!-as likely these maids were. No-not The Duchess. A Lady.

intriguing- I ran across in an old Vogue magazine. Vogue's NOTEBOOK spotted The Duchess at the d' Arenberg housewarming, 1966. Here it was reported  3 maids wore the  GIVENCHY dress. Certainly possible that this faux pas was repeated-If So-Mrs Guiness Plunkett slipped up twice.

from the pages of Vogue October 1966
pictured in 4. Mme. Walter Moreira-Salles
5. The Duchess, HRH The Duke and standing Mrs.Guiness Plunkett

who knows, once, twice, 
three times ? 
does it matter, not really, But it does amuse.
& besides
the Lady Duchess was always a bit of a mystery.
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